Marc Catone's writings

Subtitle

About Me

I was born in Danbury Connecticut in 1950, which makes me...OMG...66 years old. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened so quickly. Also, I would like to know what happened to my hair.

I attended all of my schooling in Danbury CT, the former "Hat City" of the world, from Kindergarten - College. Many of my writings are about my Danbury childhood and teenage years. It was a magical place to grow up...a small city with lots of woods, fields, and streams. I lived on Putnam Drive, a Housing Authority development near Rogers Park on the southside of the city, not far from the Old Quarry Nature Center where the Giant's Chair (the inspiration for my second book) can be found.

As did most kids from Danbury during the 50s and 60s, I attended the Great Danbury State Fair, which began in 1869 and ended in 1981. 35 years later, I still miss it.

My father, Campbell (Camp), died in 2009 at the age of 84. My mother, Martha, died in 2012 at the age of 85. I have a sister, Sara, to whom I send monthly payments in hush money so she won't tell the truth about what I was really like as a kid...so far it's working. Sara and I were very close in age as well as pursuits. We had many adventures and good times in good ole Danbury. She was the ultimate girl Beatlemaniac in the Sixties, and just like many women her age, she still believes that she could be the next Mrs. Paul McCartney(even though he's on marriage #3).

My wife, Donna(DiRienzo), and I met at Western Connecticut State University in 1972 while working for the presidential campaign of George McGovern during the New Hampshire primary. We were married in 1973. Some folks would like to nominate her for sainthood for the 43 years she has spent with me, but I doubt that Pope Francis would approve.

In 1974, we left our postage-stamp sized apartment on Belltown Rd in Stamford CT, and moved to Prescott AZ for 3 years. We moved back East to the Finger Lakes region of NY State in 1977. It's a great place to live. There are wonderful people and a very politically progressive community, but the weather...to put it bluntly...sucks (please don't get me started on this...really...don't).

We have a daughter, Amanda, and two grandsons, Xavier and Kaiyan (who keep Grandma and Grandpa very busy). Thanks to them, I sing the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song when I'm in the shower(replacing the Howdy Doody Show song).

I've been many things to many people...son, brother, husband, father, friend, shop keeper, cross-dresser(just kidding, I threw that in to see if you were still paying attention). For some unfathomable reason, I've been employed by several different government entities on the Federal, State, County, and Town leveI. I haven't worked for a city or village yet, but I've still got time to hit for the cycle. "Hamlets" are optional.

I love baseball and have followed the game since 1960. The New York Mets have been my favorite team since their inception in 1962. Damn, I miss Shea Stadium (where I also saw The Beatles...twice). However, I finally saw a game at CitiField in 2015 (beautiful ballpark) and to top it off, the Mets were in the World Series. Unfortunately, victory was not theirs. (2016 wasn't victorious either). As the old Brooklyn Dodger fans used to say, "Wait til next year."

Along the way, from Danbury CT to Prescott AZ to Ithaca NY, I've met a lot of people...some good, some bad, some who liked me and some who didn't. So far, none of them have sued me...so I consider myself lucky.

Above all else, I am a Child of the Sixties. I still believe that the Sixties are a state of mind. I am keenly aware that the progress we made as Americans during the Sixties has been maligned unfairly during the Culture Wars of the past 30 years...often marginalized and demonized by what I call the Unholy Trinity...Corporate media, Christian fundamentalism, and the Radical Right. In my writings, I strive to show those times as they really were...not the "conventional wisdom" whipping boy they've become for those who want to blame all of society's problems on the Sixties.

To read my writings, click on Beatles/Sixties, The Danbury Fair, Until The Birds Chirp, Lennon,Concert For Bangladesh, One to One Concert, The Doors In Danbury, Kent State, UFO, In Memoriam or Links tabs on top of this page, and scroll down to the title of each article.